Special Needs Parenting: Unfiltered with Jade

It's National Carers Week in Australia, and we're talking about something that doesn't get nearly enough attention: carer burnout, the invisible cost of disability parenting, and the enormous pressure on unpaid carers.

Because while everyone is busy celebrating how strong and resilient carers are, disability parents are still fighting for respite, managing chronic stress, sacrificing sleep and struggling to access the support their families need.

In this Carers Week special of Unfiltered with Jade, I share my own experience of severe burnout, how years of caring affected my mental health, and what I now see every day as an NDIS advocate and somatic practitioner.

We're talking about special needs parenting, the impact of chronic caring on the nervous system, inadequate disability support, and why being able to keep going doesn't mean someone is coping.

I also discuss my advocacy work and The Invisible Cost of Care, a survey exploring the experiences of 1,188 Australian disability parents and carers.

Because carers deserve more than another fucking thank you.

🎧 Not for little ears. Contains swearing.

Follow Unfiltered with Jade for honest conversations about special needs parenting, carer mental health, disability advocacy and nervous system regulation.

Connect with Jade:
SoulShift for Carers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulshiftforcarers
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulshiftforcarers

More support / resources:

Apparently, “this too shall pass.”

Unfortunately, it may pass like a kidney stone.

After 9 fairly heavy episodes, Unfiltered with Jade is taking a much-needed detour into dark humour.

In this episode, Jade takes familiar inspirational quotes and translates them for the reality of disability parenting. She then reads some of the funniest, darkest and most unhinged responses submitted by disability parents and carers in the community.

There is no educational value whatsoever. There is, however, swearing, inappropriate laughter and the comforting reminder that sometimes humour is how we survive the completely absurd parts of this life.

If you are exhausted by appointments, reports, broken sleep and being told to “fill your own cup,” this episode is for you.

Share it with another disability parent or carer who needs a laugh today.Every Friday, I share a new dose of dark humour for special needs parents who’ve had a shit day, from brutally honest affirmations and tiny poems to ancient proverbs and the unofficial courses we should all have been offered.

You can find them here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulshiftforcarers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulshiftforcarers

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@support4carers

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses suicide, suicidal thoughts, addiction and families reaching crisis point.

Almost half of the 1,188 Australian disability parents and carers who completed my Invisible Cost of Care survey told me they had experienced suicidal ideation since becoming a carer.

Almost half.

So at what point do we take this seriously?

In this episode, I talk about the conversations happening behind closed doors with parents who feel trapped, exhausted and hopeless — and why telling carers to “get counselling”, practise self-care or become more resilient cannot be the entire answer.

Carer mental health cannot only be treated as an individual problem when the conditions people are living in are contributing to the distress.

If you work in government, policy, disability, carer advocacy, suicide prevention, research or media, please listen and share this episode.

It is time these conversations moved beyond closed doors.

Need support?

Lifeline: 13 11 14
Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
Carer Gateway: 1800 422 737
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.

After a few months away, Jade is back and this episode shares something that cannot be ignored.

Australian parents and carers have spoken and Jade intends to make sure they are heard. This episode marks the beginning of her push to get carers’ lived experiences in front of government, the media and the people with the power to create real change.

In this short episode, Jade shares an early snapshot of findings from her survey, The Invisible Cost of Care, which received 1,188 responses from Australian parents and carers.

The findings are confronting: 96% experienced burnout, 98% delayed their own healthcare, 96% felt close to breaking point, and almost half reported experiencing suicidal thoughts since becoming a carer.

But this episode isn’t just about statistics. It’s a reminder for every parent and carer feeling exhausted, isolated and unsupported: you are not alone. Others are carrying this too. And far too many are doing it without the support they need.

It’s also a call for people with the power to create change to start listening.

Please share this episode with anyone you know in government, the media, policy, research or advocacy. This is a public health crisis and it demands urgent attention.

Content warning: This episode briefly discusses severe burnout, addiction and suicidal thoughts.

If you or someone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. If there is an immediate danger, call 000.

Free resources and support:
https://soulshiftforcarers.com

Contact: [email protected]

Have you become the strong one?

The one who never asks for help.
The one who keeps going no matter how exhausted you are.
The one everyone assumes is coping because you always find a way to keep it together.

In this honest and vulnerable episode, I share my own struggles with being "the strong one" and the hidden cost that comes with carrying everything on your own.

We explore:
• Why so many special needs mums struggle to ask for help
• The connection between childhood experiences and over-functioning
• What happens when your nervous system is forced to stay in survival mode for too long
• The invisible signs that you're carrying too much
• Why vulnerability is not weakness
• How learning to receive support can be one of the bravest things you ever do

If you've ever felt like you're drowning while telling everyone you're "fine," this episode is for you.

You don't have to carry everything alone.

⚠️ Contains occasional strong language.

This episode is for the mums and carers who are exhausted, wired, sick, overwhelmed and hanging on by a thread.

So many special needs mums are dealing with chronic pain, migraines, gut issues, insomnia, hormonal chaos, panic attacks, inflammation, hospital admissions and bodies that feel like they are completely shutting down.

And the hardest part?

Most mums don't even have time to go to their own appointments.

In this episode, Jade talks about what prolonged caregiving stress actually does to the body, why living in constant hypervigilance changes your nervous system, and why you are not too dramatic or “bad at coping.”

This is also a big conversation about the question so many mums ask:

“How can you heal when the stress carries on every day?”

Jade explains why healing does not mean your life suddenly becomes easy. It means your nervous system slowly builds more capacity inside the life you already have.

You’ll hear about:

• why special needs mums are getting physically sick
• what chronic stress does to the nervous system
• why holidays, breaks and respite do not always repair burnout
• the difference between rest and nervous system repair
• why talk therapy and counselling can help the mind, but the body may still feel stuck in survival mode
• how somatic healing helps change your baseline
• why tiny moments of safety can build real capacity over time
• why Jade is collecting survey responses from Australian parents and carers and advocating for more support

This episode ends with a short, gentle somatic practice you can do in under a minute.

If this one hits home, please share it with another mum who needs to know she is not broken.

LINKS / RESOURCES
Free resources: https://soulshiftforcarers.com/resources
1:1 somatic sessions: https://soulshiftforcarers.com/sessions
Anchored Mum Project: https://subscribepage.io/npyzZ0

Survey for Australian parents and carers: https://forms.gle/HNAuvZntqZk3uPWt5

CONTENT NOTE
This episode includes honest discussion of burnout, chronic stress, carer health impacts and a little swearing.

For the special needs mum who is hanging on by a thread today.

This short episode is your 5 minute dose of motivation, validation and nervous system support.

If you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, touched out, emotionally fried or wondering if you’re doing enough, press play.

You are not failing.
This is just fucking hard.

And you are doing better than you think.

Includes a short somatic practice at the end to help your body soften, breathe and come back to itself.

Need support? Check out my website: https://soulshiftforcarers.com/ or send me an email at [email protected]

Special needs mums are not grieving their children. We’re grieving the version of motherhood we thought we were walking into, the constant fight for support, and the parts of ourselves that got buried under advocacy, case management, crisis response and survival mode.

In this episode, Jade talks about the grief special needs mums are often shamed for naming, why it doesn’t mean you love your child any less, and how this grief can live in the body.

This one ends with a short somatic practice for the mums who need somewhere safe to put the load down for a minute.

For free resources or support, visit my website here: https://soulshiftforcarers.com/

Mother’s Day can feel really complicated when you’re raising a child with additional needs.

This episode is for the mums who may not get the card, the “I love you”, the sleep in, the break, or the easy celebration.

We talk about grief, resentment, guilt, the invisible load, and why you’re allowed to admit Mother’s Day can hurt.

Includes a practical somatic tool for really hard days.

⚠️ Not for little ears. Real talk, real language.

Free resources + support:
https://soulshiftforcarers.com/resources

What if some of the behaviour that looks like defiance is actually fear?

In this episode, we talk about fight, flight and freeze in kids with additional needs, anxiety, PDA and complex behaviours.

I also share a real example from life with my daughter, and why understanding the nervous system can change how we respond in hard moments.
Your child isn’t “just being difficult.”

It’s often two overwhelmed nervous systems trying to cope at the same time.

Free resources + support:
https://soulshiftforcarers.com/resources